Commercial pecan rais
ing, however, waited un
til comparatively recent
years.
Heavy plantings
for orchards came between
1920 and 1930. Improved
varieties have been devel
oped so that they now
number more than 100.
The world's largest
single grove of cultivated
pecans was started in 1933
near Las Cruces, New
Mexico; today 75,000
pecan trees grow there on
4,000 acres of the Stah
mann Farms, Inc.,
irri
gated by wells and by
water of the Rio Grande.
Pecan wood is in in
creasing demand for fur
niture and flooring. Hard
and heavy, it takes polish
handsomely and is highly
resistant to sharp, sudden
impacts. Sapwood is whit
ish or lightly tinged with
brown; heartwood, pale to
reddish brown. Like that
of other hickories, pecan
wood is prized as fuel for
smoking meats.
541
Volkmar Wentzel, National Geographic Photographer
Young Mouths Water for Pecan Pralines Hot from the Pan
School children line up at the counter of a New Orleans cafe for Ma Lou's
sweets, a blend of brown sugar, nuts, and butter.
+ Many orchards use mechanical shakers to thresh pecans. A revolving
steel pole aboard a tractor (left) knocks down the fruit in this Moody,
Texas, grove. Some of the trees are more than 50 years old.